Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The Gustavo Díaz Ordaz airport was pretty busy last year. According to the facility's operator, Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, the Puerto Vallarta International Airport received about 4.76 million travelers in 2018. This represents a 5.3 percent increase in the number of visitors to the destination since 2017.

Of all the flights, 66 percent of the traffic was international and 34 percent was domestic. Puerto Vallarta is becoming a highly popular destination for international travelers.

This is no surprise as a route recently opened between Puerto Vallarta and Panama, and the airport now has routes from Manchester, England, as well as Helsinki, Finland.

During the winter season, the airport will serve 53 routes, out of which 41 are international and only 12 are domestic. Just as impressive is how much the airport has grown since 2009. The airport went from 36 routes in 2009 to 53 in 2018-2019. That's an 80 percent growth in traffic over the last 9 years, or 9 percent per year.

Now offering flights to more than 50 destinations around the world, including Quebec, Los Angeles, San Diego and Chicago, and transporting nearly 5 million passengers a year, the Puerto Vallarta International Airport is getting its due investments.

Passengers now have access to a free wireless Internet network and a new International VIP Lounge. And now a new terminal building, with more space, excellent services and commercial areas is in the works. The new terminal will span more than 200,000 square feet and include five new jetways and six security lines, according to Raul Revuelta, the general director of GAP.

"Through these improvements to the International Airport of Puerto Vallarta we seek to contribute to the economic and tourist development of the States of Jalisco and Nayarit. By offering better service, we hope to add to international visitors' positive image of both destinations," Revuelta said.

Sources: Informador • Travel Pulse